Brett Williams beats the tag of Rice catcher Hunter Kopycinski on a ninth inning squeeze play to score the tying run for N.C. State on Saturday

RALEIGH – If ever there was a time for the N.C. State baseball team to slump its shoulders, shake its collective head and start questioning whether the fates were once again on the other team’s side, this was it.

Just as it did two weeks ago in a heartbreaking 18-inning loss to rival North Carolina, the Wolfpack watched its best pitcher walk off the mound without a lead, wasted numerous scoring chances and found itself trailing by a run with three outs to go.

Only this time, instead of going down quietly to a defeat that would have been far more damaging than just the 1-0 hole it would have created in the best-of-three series, coach Elliott Avent’s team came out swinging.

Two runs in the bottom of the ninth off the nation’s top closer, Rice’s Zech Lemond, gave State an improbable 4-3 victory at Doak Field on Saturday, moving it to within one win of its first College World Series trip since 1968.

The Wolfpack can close out the Conference USA champion Owls in Game 2 today at 4 p.m.

“We’re at this point for a reason,” Avent said after the dramatic victory. “There’s been a lot of big moments. Every bit moment you’re in, every experience you have in life, you can carry on to your next obstacle. These guys have done a pretty good job of that.

“I do think they got a little antsy a little bit, but I think they’ll be much more relaxed (today).”

State (48-14) didn’t look like it early, scratching across two runs on only one hit in the bottom of the first against Rice ace Austin Kubitza to take what felt like, at the time at least, a commanding early lead.

The two runs were more than the Wolfpack had scored for ace left-hander Carlos Rodon since a 7-6 extra inning win against Duke on May 17. And they served to have a calming effect on the Wolfpack.

Only not in a positive way.

Instead of using the momentum to take control of the game, State’s hitters seemed to take their foot off the gas and let Rodon do the rest. This time, however, the All-ACC sophomore didn’t have his usual overpowering stuff.

Rodon did strike out nine while pitching into the eighth, but he also gave up a season-high 11 hits and two runs to allow Rice (44-19) to battle its way back into the game. He left with the score tied at two and stood to take the loss when the Owls went ahead for the first time in the ninth on a single by Christian Stringer off reliever Grant Sasser.

“Getting two runs in the first inning was like the biggest thing for us, because we always get so relaxed with Carlos,” center fielder Brett Williams said. “Not that we’re not trying to score, but it feels good to repay him once for all the times he’s pitched deep into games and we struggled to get him runs.”

The Wolfpack wasted numerous opportunities to win that long game in Durham, and it looked like a replay was in order when Tarran Senay’s eighth inning line drive was caught by Rice first baseman Skylar Ewing with runners on second and third and one out.

A foot either way and State would have led 4-2. Instead, those familiar bad feelings began to creep into the Wolfpack dugout.

If only for a moment.

“Senay’s thing, that may have taken a momentary air out of our sail,” Avent said. “He hit it good and that guy made a great, great play over at first. That was tough, (but) you just have to go out and compete.”

Carlos Rodon struck out nine, but allowed a season-high 11 hits against Rice

And that’s just what the Wolfpack did.

Faced with its first bout with adversity in this NCAA tournament, State responded like a team ready to do whatever it takes to reach its goal and get to Omaha.

Williams drew a leadoff walk, stole second, went to third and raced home with the tying run on a squeeze bunt by ninth hitter Logan Ratledge – one pitch after his first attempt failed – barely beating the throw home.

Two batters later, Fincher finished the job by drilling an RBI single to left that, at long last, forced the other guys to slump their shoulders and walk off the field questioning themselves.

Saturday’s game was delayed 24 hours because of the effects of Tropical Storm Andrea, but like UNC’s ninth inning Super Regional victory earlier in the day, the dramatic finish made it worth the wait.

With the victory, the Wolfpack now stands just one win from ending an even longer wait — this one, the 45 years since its first and only trip to the College World Series.